"You had an unobstructed path to your opponent," NFL vice president of football operations Merton Hanks wrote in a letter to Goldson informing him of the suspension. "It is clear that you lowered your head and unnecessarily rammed the left side of your helmet into the left side of your opponent's head.

"You delivered a forceful blow with your helmet and made no attempt whatsoever to wrap up your opponent or make a conventional tackle on the play," Hanks continued. "This illegal contact clearly could have been avoided."

Goldson and cornerback Darrelle Revis were the two biggest names acquired in Tampa's defensive transformation this offseason. The defense has played exceedingly well overall for the first two weeks this season, but it hasn't held on to fourth-quarter leads. Goldson's expected absence this week makes it more likely that Tom Brady will make his own late-game magic against the Bucs.